The First Visit To Magic Kingdom

Hey! I know I'm pretty behind with blogging out here, so so busy. I am only around a week and half behind with my vlogs though so check them out to see what I’m upto! Anyway, after traditions we had our first visit to magic kingdom! It was pretty late by the time we arrived, so the evening mostly consisted of watching the Electrical Parade and Wishes from behind the castle. I was a little disappointed we watched it from behind, but the crowds were so huge that we couldn't even get to main street. It’s no biggie now as I watch the show practically every night at work anyway!

A few of the guys were starting training early the next morning so they left while me, jenn, hayley, andrew and ashleigh went on the haunted mansion and it’s a small world. I also tried my first Micky Pretzel before the ELP! Omnom.

You can watch my vlog of the first night in Magic Kingdom here ! I had the day after off so me and Jenn headed to Hollywood studios for Starwars weekend! Stay tuned :)

xox

QSFB: Magic Kingdom Outdoor Foods

Hey guys! I’ve been so busy over here and cant believe it’s been nearly a month already. I thought I would write a little bit about my role and training through, as its completely different to what I expected. So Magic Kingdom Outdoor Foods! My first day of training was Magic Kingdom specific. We had a full park tour (in traditions clothes I may add, so very hot) before then splitting off into role specific groups. We were then taken into a room and given a lanyard and ‘Earning my ears” tag. After a Food and Beverage introduction it was home time (and Star Wars weekend time! See my vlogs for a peek). Day 2 was at Disney university and I gotta say, half the class nearly fell asleep. This was then proceeded by e-learning (the bane of training).

This is what my first week of on the job training looked like! Not gonna lie, it was tough. On my first night I finished at 3:30am (when i was suppose to finish at 1am) and on my second night i finished at 2am. By the end of training I was exhausted, upset and wanted to go home. My first week was equally as tough, especially closing popcorn. I'm glad to say though, it gets better. Once you get used to it things gets quicker and you start getting out on time. The last day of training you get to taste all the ice creams too! Yum! The pay check will definitely put a smile on your face. I am generally working between 42 – 47 hours a week with 2 days off and can get like 250-300 dollars after rent!

   
[L-R, T-B: Mobile Vending, Tomorrow Land, Fantasy Land, West Side]

Here in Outdoor Foods we have several costumes for each land, as we could be working anywhere in the park. So far my favourite place to work has been Tomorrowland and Mainstreet (which i forgot to take a picture of oops). It’s never a bad day when you get paid to watch the parades and wishes (during them we get like, no guests wanting to be served).

One thing I didn't expect for ODF was the closing aspect. When the wagon closes we have to take inventory with the stockers, head back to the garage and refill our drinks wagon then if we’re at any other wagon but ice-cream, go back and clean.

Next week I'm getting trained for Mobile Vending, were the hours look so much better! 1:30pm – 10:45pm everyday (for 5 days) woop woop! It beats my regular 11 hour shifts that for sure. Luckily this is the week my boyfriend visits so I wont finish too late to get the guest bus to our hotel (pop century). Happy days.

xox

Traditions

On Friday 7th June we had traditions! I was in the afternoon session which started at 2pm. I’m not going to go into too much detail about this as you will find out for yourself, but its basically a Disney 101 class informing you about the heritage and values of the company. This is also the class that inducts you as an official Disney cast member, nametags being delivered by the mouse himself!

During the session there is a trip to the Magic Kingdom, taking you onstage through the utilidors for a first glimpse of the castle! Dress is business wear in the ‘Disney Look’ so dress appropriate. You can see what i wore below.

 

The day before traditions I also found out my official role. Outdoor foods in magic kingdom. Not gonna lie, its been tough, but i will write about the training/job in a separate post. Again, i don't want to talk about this too much half because i don't know if I'm aloud, and half because its something special to look forward too, the official start of your program! If you look above I got Saturday off. Star Wars weekend!!!

Remember to check out my vlogs here.

xox

Dorms: The New Disney World Cast Member Housing System

Hey! I have abit of spare time before bed so though I would write about the brand new Dorms system that has just been implemented for Disney college program housing! In previous years us ICP’s wouldn’t have a choice for roomies, BUT this new system is open to everyone! No more to the Americans have to queue from 4 am to be able to get their desired complex and room mates. It’s all done online before you arrive. So how does it work?

Approximately 10 days before the start of your program you will receive an email which states you can register for housing. During this you can put a preference for complex and flat size as well as linking up with roommates with the same start – end date as you. How many people you can link with depends on what date you arrive. I was allowed to link with 5 others, but those starting on June 10th could only link with one other person. Just get one person to set up the links by following the instructions, then the others can accept (see below)!

We requested a 3 bedroom in Chatham, which we luckily got! I know everyone got their roommate links, but not necessarily complex or room size. Remember that Disney cannot guarantee anything.

If you have any questions feel free to message me! I'm regularly uploading vlogs over on my YouTube channel also, if you want to see what me and my roomies are up to in Florida.

xox

Arrival & First Few Days!

So the past few days have been hectic but amazing! Our plane on Monday was an hour & half delayed so we ended up getting out of Orlando airport around 7pm, getting a mears shuttle to Vista and finally arriving in our apartment around 9pm. I'm in Chatham 3 bed with my 5 amazing friends Jenn, Hayley, Rachael, Jade and Ashleigh. Ecstatic that we got our first choice of housing and links :D

Our days have been filled with house meetings, outlet exploring, welcome party, Downtown Disney and having a nosey at the resorts, plus fun apartment times! We had a day off today and were originally going to head to universal, but weather is shit in Orlando at the moment and we cant get proof of residency passes yet for annual pass discount. Instead we went to the outlet mall and walmart before jumping on a bus to the Grand Floridian. After an explore of that resort we hopped on the monorail, catching our first glimpses of Magic Kingdom and Epcot. I was bouncing around the carriage like a mad woman trying to get a look :D The evening ended with Me, Jenn and Ashleigh having a little wander around DTD, picking up a treat from Goofy’s!

 





Tomorrow is traditions! Finally! Me and Jenn are in the same group at 2pm so the plan is to head to Hollywood studios after and meet the girls for some Starwars weekend fun, then make our way over to Magic Kingdom for the parade and wishes. We both also have Saturday off together so will be heading to HS again to Starwars it up :):) (Wrote on Wednesday 6th June, posting this abit later!)

The summer of a lifetime has begun.

xox

The Application Process: Final Interview!

So apparently I just completely forgot to write about my final interview. Oops. I do have a video here about the whole application process if you would like to check that out. Anyway, I found out I had gotten through to the final interviews on Friday 12th October at 6:11pm.

Again I got the 5am coach from Southampton to London, meeting up with Kerrie at Victoria coach station before heading to Hammersmith together. There I met up with Becky & Jamie plus a few others. Off to Disney HQ we went! We had to go around the entrance, so in the little shopping centre follow the signs for the bus station then turn right. When we got to HQ, we were all given guest passes and told to wait in the lobby. The next few hours are a blur thinking back. We were led upstairs through a room adorned with Disney posters and sat in a movie theatre style room where we were introduced to the Disney recruiters and watched a presentation video.

Times were then read out for what “group” you would be in. I was in the 11am group… the first one! It turns out, I had the first interview, of the whole ICP 2013 intake final interviews. I was bricking it. The two American ladies but me at ease though, being very welcoming and friendly.

Some of the questions they asked were

• What course are you doing?
• Why do you want to do the program?
• Tell us about your top roles (I went into detail about each of my top 5 roles and why i wanted to do them).
• What do you think is good customer service?
• Any tattoos or piercings?
• Anything else to add? & Any questions?

During this we had abit of a laugh about British tea and I emphasised the cultural aspect of the program while mentioning I was interested in volunteering opportunities out there. I reckon the interview lasted around 15 minuets, but don't hold me to that. It was so long ago that I cant remember too much about it. What I do remember is how terrible I felt afterwards. I was so anxious and didn't know how I had done at all. I met up with the rest of the guys at the weatherspoons afterwards but just couldn't focus with how worried I was! I ended up getting an early coach home. As it turns out, my angst was nothing as on Friday 2nd November I got the email informing me that I was going to Florida! It must have been my in depth knowledge of British tea  

At the end of the day, the process can be scary (I had so many nights worrying about it, researching until the early hours and making notes on things I could say) but if you want this enough, you’ll be fine!

Remember,

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

- Walt Disney

Good Luck.

xox

1 Month to go Update, Disney Hoody & VISA/Embassy Appointment!

In exactly 1 month I will be on a plane over the Atlantic ocean, heading to Orlando. Is this real life? Other than university deadlines there's been a few exciting Disney bits happen over the past few weeks! For starters, my Disney Hoody arrived! These are not provided, you and your other participants have to design and order them yourselves. The lovely Rachael F designed our logo and Jack C organized where to get them from, thanks guys! We ordered them with hoodietee and I believe they are £25, actually being amazing quality!

  

Secondly I had my embassy appointment on the 24th April and I’m delighted to say my VISA was approved! I’ve spoken more about the day in a video and some pre-information here. I’m going to list some pre-to do things down below. If you have any questions on this fee free to comment/message me and ask!

Pre-Visa To Do

• As soon as you receive your welcome pack phone up the embassy to book your appointment and pay the $160 fee. You will be sent an receipt & appointment confirmation letter for this. Print them out.
• Fill out the online SEVIS form, pay the $35 fee and print the receipt out immediately. You cannot print this off at a later date so only do it when attached to a printer.
• Fill out the online DS-160 form and print out the completion page as instructed. You will need a photograph of yourself for this, but it’s alright if you don't have an appropriate one. Just make sure you take one to the embassy.

These forms will take about a hour and half in total, just get it out of the way so you don't have to worry about it.

Embassy Appointment Documents Checklist

• The non-immigrant visa interview confirmation letter (send by email after booking your appointment).
• Print out of the MRV application fee receipt (sent with the interview confirmation letter).
• SEVIS receipt (printed after completing the form).
• DS-160 Confirmation page (printed after completing the form).
• DS-2019 visa petition (sent with your welcome pack).
• Passport (valid for at least six months beyond your period of stay).
• Passport sized photograph.
• Official Disney welcome letter (sent with your welcome pack).
• Supporting documentation showing intent to return home (most people weren't asked for this but take along a university letter saying you intend to return for your next year, a job offer letter, postgrad offer letter or anything that shows ties to your home country).
• Payment for the courier fee – London (they only accepted card when we were there. If you are getting your passport processed in Belfast take a prepaid special delivery envelope).

As I said, I have done a video about the actual day which you can find below!

31 days and it still doesn't feel real!

xox